Help with rationing

Hi! I just got my first vaporizer (Pax) a few weeks ago and am having the hardest time using a regular amount of stuff. I'm used to going through an eighth to a qtr a week, but with the Pax my usage is quadrupled. It takes more to get me where I wanna go, and just to load the thing takes like 3 joints' worth. I'm used to a one-hitter, where you can regulate small amounts. Should I be using a different vape, one with a smaller bowl? I'm not interested in buying anything complicated with hoses and whatnot, just a simple portable device. I go online and see other people posting about how their usage went way down after switching to vaping and I just think HOW on earth did that happen??

I am still a heavy user, but it sounds like you would really like the Lotus. I got mine a few weeks ago and it is a champ. I was coming from S&B Plenty and was used to filling huge chambers before the Lotus

Very efficient with just a pinch of herb. I find it hits best with less than 0.1 grams, and it will give me 3-4 big hits. It also has a very simple and familiar design that you might appreciate.

Pax is a bit of a hog. Of all the vapes I own, it uses the most. I love the portability of it, but I don't use it often because of the amount it uses. You have to put a lot in there, and it's always heating your load so you don't get all of the vapor into your body.

Another thing to consider is that if you are new to vaporizing, it is a different feeling than smoking. When I switched over I went through a lot more herb because I was chasing that smoking high that I wasn't getting. A lot of people go through this.

If you want a stingy portable, the MFLB fits the bill. But not sure if it fits your needs in other ways...

But to be honest, unlike most people, my usage did not go down at all when I switched to vaping and it actually increased. It has settled back to about the amount that I used to smoke, but that is only because I ration myself now. When I was smoking I never had to pay attention to how much I was using, yet it always stayed constant. Now with vaping I have to work very hard to only use that same amount per week/month.

To this day it makes me envious when people talk about their usage dropping with vaping. Mine most definitely went up. Like you, I was always a one hitter guy, so I was very efficient with my dugout when I smoked.

I love the benefits of vaping, but for me a decrease of material used is not one of the benefits. Quite the opposite. I am not saying that I am the norm, I'm just offering a counterpoint to the numerous stories of people cutting their usage by drastic amounts when they switch from smoking. It is not always the case.

Thanks y'all, you make me feel much better! I was feeling like a real degenerate suddenly moving through such a huge amount of stuff - reading people online talk about how their usage just naturally plunged, i was really wondering WTF was wrong with me! And it's very hard to use my one-hitter again after vaping, the taste is so gross now.
The most important thing for me in a new vape would be ease of use. I'm the kind of person that doesn't get new technology till it's gone through four generations and gotten to where even a total idiot can use it (just got my first smart phone a few years ago! Haha). I love the look of the G-Pen type device, and my dream would be something like that which was easily loadable. I like the Pax's easy usability, the fact that you don't need an extra heating device to make it work. I was looking at the Solos that people are recommending here (thanks!) and they look cool (although it'll take me about a day to break that glass stem) but I'll have to wait a while to buy another $200+ device after spending $250 so recently on the Pax weed-devouring machine.
Ok now I'm just rambling. Thanks!

I was feeling like a real degenerate suddenly moving through such a huge amount of stuff - reading people online talk about how their usage just naturally plunged, i was really wondering WTF was wrong with me!

A long slow vape turning up the temp works great for me in the solo. It tastes great too. It just takes time to get all the good vapour out the full 12 mins until auto shutdown.

The firefly looks nice but again it's not available in my country.

You might like the PnP only it's taste is a bit plastic not sure if the new glass tubes will improve it see the PnP thread melting mouthpiece. It delivers a great hit and is easy to use. I have one prefer the solo overall.

I sold my Pax for exactly two reasons: 1) I was tired of having to clean it multiple times per week just to keep it functional, and 2) it was so incredibly inefficient that I was going through WAY more flowers than necessary.

I've tried a lot of vapes since the Pax and it honestly remains the single most inefficient device I've tried. You need a lot of flowers to get a decent session going, but you get no more medicated from a single session than you would with nearly any other portable with an oven half the size. Efficiency is huge for me. I probably use half to three-quarters the amount of flowers post-Pax as I did when I was using the Pax exclusively. If the Pax produced superior vapor, maybe I could justify what an herb hog it is. But it doesn't. So I can't.

The vapes I would recommend checking out instead are the Solo, the Firefly, or the Lotus. Those are my three favorites, and each is reasonably efficient (waaay moreso than the Pax). They're also pretty low-maintenance (VERY low-maintenance compared to the Pax). The Firefly and the Lotus are particularly efficient because you only apply heat when you're hitting, so you're not cooking your material between draws. I also feel that the Lotus in particular is a much heavier hitter than the Pax...you will definitely get more medicated with less material.

Hope this helps! Bottom line is, dump the Pax. I know it has its fans, but I have to believe that many of those folks just haven't tried a wide variety of different options. You can do better, and vape less.

Edited to add: While I love the PNP, I wouldn't necessarily recommend it if efficiency is a top concern. My best sessions with the PNP came when I fully packed the bullet with flowers, which translates to more material per session than any of the vapes I mentioned. The fact that it required more material was one reason I sold my PNP...the other was that I got tired of having to keep up with and maintain the bullets....and they're not simple to load on the fly. It is a good vape, though--MUCH better than the Pax IMHO. YMMV

I agree, the Pax oven holds a lot of herb, but it is great for once in a while and stealth situations.
It shouldn't be your daily driver because of the herb hog issue and cleaning requirement to work properly.
I think it deserves a special place in many people vape arsenal because of the features it has that made it attractive to many in the first place, like look, stealth, no learning curve, portability etc.

I agree, the Pax oven holds a lot of herb, but it is great for once in a while and stealth situations.
It shouldn't be your daily driver because of the herb hog issue and cleaning requirement to work properly.
I think it deserves a special place in many people vape arsenal because of the features it has that made it attractive to many in the first place, like look, stealth, no learning curve, portability etc.

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Thanks both of you! THe advice and feedback I've gotten here have helped a lot - in terms of self-frustration (why is this going so fast??) and what to do next. I think I'll try the Solo immediately, and wait to try that adorable firefly wooden number. The Solo looks like the right fit for my needs right now. In the meantime, this double-screen solution I read about on these forums has helped stop the hemorrhaging of herb that's been going on!!
Thanks again to everyone who took the time. I sure appreciate it!!

Don't count out the lotus... I totally thought I was getting something else until I got educated
At $100, not only will it be easy on the wallet, but it also easy on the herb.

In one Lotus bowl, I probably use 1/4 to 1/2 the amount I used in a (combustion) one hitter.

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The Lotus is my favorite vape. It's not appropriate for every situation, which is why I also use the Firefly (and the Solo on occasion), but given its low cost, versatility, efficiency, ease of use, and true heavy hitter status, nothing else I've tried has come close to dethroning the Lotus as the best all-around vape for me.

I've got all three ^,
the main reason I keep the firewood around is I have a soft spot for dugouts

The firefly and the lotus are definitely my favorite portables.

I have not tried the solo. I know many people love it, but what holds me back is that I am averse to a milkshake draw after my pax experience, and the ff and the lotus reportedly offer heavier hits with less hassle. Also after my time with the pinnacle pro, I don't want to futz with too many parts.

The firefly has the pax cool factor, but not the tiny factor.
The ff also has no moving mechanical parts (besides the electrical switches),
or small parts to lose to lose like the pax, and offers a far superior vaporizing experience.

The pax is tiny and cool and great for stealth. Hated it.
It's high-maintenance, and if you forget to keep hitting it cooks the rest of the bowl.
Also plastic plus conduction equals poor taste.

The lotus is a great deal, and the most versatile.
It needs a lighter, but offers a great vaping experience like the ff for much less cash.
The lotus is also much easier to mate with glass, and can be used off the grid.

Don't count out the lotus... I totally thought I was getting something else until I got educated

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I should also mention that I didn't seriously consider the Lotus as an option for me for quite a long time. I was aware of it long before I even entertained the idea of trying it. I only tried it because I had VAS and was looking for something new to try, and kept hearing people rave about it. Now it's my favorite, and a daily driver. Take from that what you will! It's a surprisingly awesome vape. I was honestly shocked once I got it and learned to use it, and realized just how good it was!

I should also mention that I didn't seriously consider the Lotus as an option for me for quite a long time. I was aware of it long before I even entertained the idea of trying it. I only tried it because I had VAS and was looking for something new to try, and kept hearing people rave about it. Now it's my favorite, and a daily driver. Take from that what you will! It's a surprisingly awesome vape. I was honestly shocked once I got it and learned to use it, and realized just how good it was!

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I was the same way with the lotus. Totally dismissive of it at first just because it was torch powered. However after hearing dozens of members say it was the best tasting vape they've hit, I had to pick one up for myself. Fast forward 5 months and it's now the only flower vape I own.

I was the same way with the lotus. Totally dismissive of it at first just because it was torch powered. However after hearing dozens of members say it was the best tasting vape they've hit, I had to pick one up for myself. Fast forward 5 months and it's now the only flower vape I own.

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Yes! The Lotus essentially cured my VAS. The Firefly is the only vape (over $35--looking at you, Gn0me!) that I've purchased since buying the Lotus. And the reason I bought the Firefly is because I need a battery-powered portable for certain situations (like being a passenger in a car), and it promised an experience more similar to the Lotus than any of the other portables I'd tried.

I liked the idea of having a flame-based vape prior to buying the Lotus, and picked up a VG. Nice vape, but it was never going to become a daily driver. That sort of made me think that a flame-based vape could never be my daily driver. I thought the Lotus looked neat, but weird, and I doubted highly that it was really what I wanted.

I've tried thirteen different flower vaporizers, eleven of them portable, and the Lotus is my all-around winner. And I would NEVER have anticipated that outcome in a million years. I am making these comments mostly for the benefit of lurkers who are wondering what vape to buy...I know the Lotus looks kinda weird, and maybe a little scary, and possibly more manual than you were wanting, but trust me...it deserves SERIOUS consideration by anyone looking for a heavy-hitting vape that works just as well with an aluminum stem as a dry glass j-hook as any style water pipe you might want to pair it with. At a fraction of the cost of most other vapes, it's an incredible value.

It also preserves a lot of the ritual associated with combusting, for my fellow ex-smokers. I didn't realize how much I missed that ritual until the Lotus brought it back into my life...

Anyway, I'll stop drooling over the Lotus now. And start clock-watching while I anticipate the moment I can go home and hit mine (with the D020 from the Cheap, high quality bubblers thread...a match made in heaven!)